


Of Friends and Flowing Red Capes

by ghostdude101



Category: Incredible Hulk (2008), The Avengers (2012), Thor (2011)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Team, Team Dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-19
Updated: 2012-07-19
Packaged: 2017-11-10 07:23:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/463697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostdude101/pseuds/ghostdude101
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce wakes up in an abandoned warehouse, naked. Again. At least this time, there's Thor to the rescue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Friends and Flowing Red Capes

Bruce wakes up in an abandoned warehouse, naked. Again. He only sighs tiredly and rubs his eyes, because this isn't exactly the first time this has happened to him. Anyway, after waking up naked in front of a bunch of wary, suspicious people for about the twentieth time, abandoned warehouses start to look like the better option. Looking around, he doesn't see any sign of the usual rage-induced destruction, thankfully, apart from the rather obvious Hulk-sized hole in one of the walls. 

He hears a dull _thump_ from behind him, and turns just in time to see Thor land, resplendent in his usual armoured glory. 

"My friend!" he says. Apparently, Thor's not one to hold a grudge, because Bruce distinctly remembered the fact that the other guy had smacked him around a few times, usually while in the midst of a battle. 

"I am pleased to see that you have awakened," says Thor, putting a large hand on Bruce's shoulder. "Shall we return to our team-mates? They were most anxious for your well-being as well." 

Bruce can't help a small smirk at that, because knowing his team-mates, they were probably more worried about the well-being of the innocent citizens he came across, rather than Bruce himself. But he bites his lip to keep from saying so, to avoid letting down Thor. Because other than Steve, Thor is probably the most earnest one in the group, and certainly one of the kindest, too. He treats Bruce like a…well, like a 'shield-brother' he supposes, in Thor's words. Bruce - or the other guy, at least - has earned Thor's respect, and Thor wears his emotions on his sleeve. 

He hugs people when he's happy, slings an arm around their shoulder as a show of friendship, and has a hundred small ways of showing affection. Bruce even saw him plant a small kiss - chaste and friendly - on Natasha's forehead one day, just after a tough battle. Everybody in the room froze then, mentally calculating the way a fight between the Black Widow and an immortal alien would go. But Natasha only smiled, that fond little smile that is usually only reserved for Clint, and patted Thor on the arm. And Thor is the only one, other than Tony, who can consistently get a laugh out of Bruce, even if they do manage it in wildly differing ways. 

So Bruce holds in the sarcastic remark, and instead says, "Yeah, sure, Thor." He tries to stand and only manages to get upright before the world seems to tilt over and he sways on his feet, unbalanced. 

But then there's a solid presence at his side, and it's Thor, steadying Bruce with an arm around his waist and holding him up like he weighs nothing. 

"Are you well, Doctor Banner?" he says, looking worried. 

"Yeah, yeah, I'm all right," Bruce says, leaning heavily into Thor, because what the hell, the guy can take it. "Just a little dizzy. It happens sometimes, after the other guy comes out to play." 

Thor nods solemnly. "Yes, the green beast fought valiantly today. We would have been lost without you." 

Despite his best efforts, Bruce is quite intrigued at Thor's words. Because Thor treats him and the Hulk like the same person, really; maybe just a bit more caution around the other guy in order not to get punched, but essentially, he behaves the same way around Bruce as he does with the Hulk. And Bruce kind of really, really wants to find out why. Hey, curiosity has always been one of his strongest traits, but whether it is a quality or a character defect he can never decide. So, of course, he has to ask. 

"You don't mind, then? The other guy _did_ rough you up a few times out there." 

"Of course not," comes the immediate reply. If it is anyone else, Bruce would have been suspicious, but Thor clearly means every word. ”It was simply the battle madness that consumed you, Doctor. I have met many brave warriors with the same affliction. The easiest way is to simply stand aside and let them overwhelm the enemy.”

Bruce smiles wryly. “Yeah, that sounds like him. Smash until there’s nothing there left to smash.”

“It is nothing to be ashamed of, Bruce. Those warriors are some of the best in the realm, and they are celebrated after every battle,” says Thor, frowning slightly. “I was surprised to find out that you do not do the same, here.”

Huh. Well, Bruce has been doing some reading up on Norse mythology, just to get a firmer grip on the most alien of his team-mates. And he _had_ come across something like that in his research. Berserkers, he thinks they are called. Bruce makes a mental note to find out more, later, and possibly from a first-hand account from someone who was there himself.

“I shall like to do the same with you, later, if you are agreeable, Doctor Banner.”

Thor looks at him dead on, quietly hopeful, and Bruce doesn’t have the heart to tell him that he’s not usually in a celebratory mood after the other guy makes an appearance. So he nods, acquiescing. 

“I’d like that, Thor,” he answers, and to his surprise, he genuinely means it. He would like to spend more time with the guy, to find out what he’s really like outside of battles and the craziness of the Avengers Tower.

Thor looks pleased. “Shall we rejoin our friends, then?” he asks, starting to swing his hammer.

“Um…” Bruce says, looking down at himself, painfully aware of his very naked form for the first time.

Somehow, it doesn’t seem like a big deal with Thor, who just acts like his lack of clothing is just another fact, and not something to be embarrassed about. And anyway, it’s not like Bruce isn’t used to it after all these years.

His other team-mates, though, is a completely different story. Just the thought of the gleeful leer on Clint and Tony’s faces if he turns up naked is enough to make him shudder. And that’s not to mention the fact that it would turn Steve – the man who is completely clear-headed in battle – into a blushing, stammering wreck.

“Uh, Thor, do you think you can get me something to wear first?” Bruce says, gesturing at himself.

Thor blinks, as if the thought hadn’t even occurred to him. Then, in one smooth movement, he unclips his cape from around his shoulders and drapes it around Bruce. Thor is so large that his cape is more than enough to cover Bruce completely from the shoulders down. And then Thor puts an arm around Bruce’s waist, holds him securely and then shoots off to find the others.

When they land, right in front of the others, the expressions on their faces are something Bruce wishes he can record. Clint makes a crack about Bruce being a Disney princess, rescued by Prince Charming. Bruce takes it good-naturedly, cracking a smile himself, and Tony opens his mouth to counter with an undoubtedly witty remark. Natasha shoots him a look, though, and the words seem to die in his throat, and he snaps his mouth shut.

Natasha steps nearer to Bruce. Not too close, still keeping a bit of a distance, but close enough. “I’m glad you’re not hurt, Bruce,” she says, perfectly composed as always. But Bruce can see that she’s amused too, showing it just enough so that he can see it in her expression.

Bruce swallows, turning Natasha’s words over in his head, and seeing the genuine hint of relief on everybody’s faces. Okay then. Maybe they _were_ worried about his safety, before, and not just the safety of the people he put in danger. Not such a ticking time-bomb of a team anymore, huh? He can live with that, Bruce thinks, surrounded by his team – by his _friends_. He can definitely live with that.


End file.
